Flames and Stars
by Flamesandstars
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is captured by the Devil due to her fathers orders. While imprisoned she meets a dark and attractive man. The only problem is he treats her coldly! Will she fall to the hands of the Devil... or will she fall to love? (Based lightly on the dark-hunters series) This story is still in progress!
1. Capture

Chapter One

Epilogue -

Lucy pulled the keys out of her coat pocket and opened the front door. Entering her living room, her ears perked up to a soft sound in her bedroom. It must have been Happy, her blue Russian cat.

She heard a hiss coming from the bathroom across the hall and her heart sank, but she still wasn't overly concerned.

"Happy, what up? Come out here and keep me company while I write my novel." she said to the cat as she closed the door, turned on the lights, and headed towards the bathroom.

Lucy was one foot into the bathroom when a voice behind her made the hair on her neck stand on end.

Before she could scream, the lights went out and someone grabbed her around the neck.

"My, my," a dark voice said in her ear. "I have finally got you my little pet." His hold crushed her neck as she gasped for air. "Your father will be very pleased that you've been "disposed of". Ha-ha, but we will won't tell him I'm keeping you as my pet, right love?" The voice snickered and Lucy gulped as tears blurred her vision.

"_Dad? But why?"_

Something shattered across her head and, before her vision failed, she saw flames rise up and engulf around her.

"_What is happening?"_

Then the world she knew went black forever.

Lucy awoke to an awful throbbing in her head. She cringed and touched the back of head with a ginger hand.

What had hap-

She tensed as she looked down at her hand, which was now covered in blood.

She remembered the man's voice. He said something about her father wanting her disposed of. What could he mean by that?!

Sure dad and she didn't have the best relationship after her mother's death, but why would he want her gone?

Terrified, she sat up, and scanned her eyes over cold stone floor, in a very small, dark, damp room. 

Her gazed traveled to her hand which, even in the cold, felt warm. Under it was the hand of a pink haired man. Yes, PINK.

A squeal leaped out of her throat and she flung her hands away.

Don't panic. Not until you have all the facts Heartfilia!

For all you know, this is all a terrible dream. Yeah that's right! A dream!

It was a rough day at the publisher's office; they were really pushing for a new story lately. I must have passed out.

Forcing herself to remain calm until she had more information, Lucy took in the view of the man beside her. The two of them were in a small room dank room, with no windows or door. A small crack in the wall was the only way light shined into the room. The only thing that helped hold a bit of her sanity. 

Her eyes followed the beam of light down the man's face. He lay with his back to her, and he was either dead or unconscious. Preferring the first, she inched toward him. He was rather tall, and he looked as if he had been thrown against the wall beside her.

Her hands shaking, Lucy rose on all fours to move over him so she could look at his face.

She trailed her gaze over his body and she sucked in her breath. A vest covered his bare chest, white skinny jeans, and a scale like scarf wrapped around his neck combined to give him a curious look even while lying on the floor. His feet were covered by a pair black leather boots that had a design of flames going up the heel. His pink, wild hair covered his face and stuck up in all directions, obscuring his face from her view. The only thing that was odd was the horns protruding from above his ears.

"Um, hello mister?" she whispered, reaching out to tap his arm. "Are you even alive?"

As soon as her hand touched the hard, lean muscle of his arm, her breath hitched. His body was like a hot, smothering fire. There wasn't a bit of a fat to him. He was all warmth and muscle.

"Oh my sweet mavis..."

Before she could stop, Lucy ran her fingers down his arm. The feel of it made her heart shutter!

She let out a slow breath and bit her bottom lip.

"Guy? Helloooo~?" she tried again, shaking his sexy, muscular shoulder. "Mr. Pinky, would you please wake up so I get the heck out of here? I really don't to be here longer than I have to! C'mon, please."

He didn't wake up.

Okay, I'll have to try something else.

Still biting her lip, Lucy rolled him towards and his hair fell away from his face.

Whoa.

Her breath and heart stopped for a second. Now she was impressed.

He was drop dead gorgeous. His jaw was strong and chiseled; his cheekbones high. His skin had no flaws and was a beautiful tan color. It was like he had been painted from a dream.

Oh Mavis, this man held masculine beauty that only a few lucky women ever saw in the flesh.

Better still, he had the tastiest lips she'd ever seen. Full and expressive, that mouth had been made for long, hot, sloppy kisses.

In fact, the only flaw on his face was a scar that traveled down his neck, from his ear to his Adams apple.

But then again, Lucy had never been that impressed with the way men looked. She preferred their intelligent minds over their bodies. Especially since most of the men she knew, who looks half as good as this jewel in front of her, had the IQ of a centipede.

Although this man was making her thoughts sway...

Lucy again ran her gaze over his lean, muscular body. In the case of this man, she might be willing to make an exception.

Provided he wasn't dead, anyway ha-ha.

Hesitantly, she reached out and placed her hand against his tawny neck to check his pulse. A strong, heavy heartbeat thumped against her fingertips.

Relieved, she tried to shake him again. "Hey, cute guy, can you hear me?"

He moaned low in his throat, a moan that sounded like a dragon out of an action thriller, and then slowly blinked his eyes open. Lucy started at the sight of those dazzling eyes. They were so dark they appeared black, and when they focused on her, they dilated menacingly.

With a curse, he grabbed her by the shoulders and she squeaked loudly.

Before she could move, he rolled over with her, pinning her against the floor beneath his body as he held her wrists above her head.

Those dark, captivating eyes searched hers suspiciously.

Lucy couldn't breathe. Every inch of him was pressed intimately against her and she became instantly aware of the fact that his arms weren't the only part of his body that was rock-hard and solid. The man was a wall of sleek, strong muscle. Her mind began to wander despite her current situation.

His hips rested dead center between her legs while his hard, taut stomach leaned against her in a way that brought a flush to her cheeks. It made her feel hot, like a fire was pooling in her belly. She was breathless.

For the first time in her life, she wanted to lift her head and kiss a man whom she knew absolutely nothing about. God what was wrong with her?

Who was he?

To her complete shock, he lowered his head down to the side of her face and took a deep breath in her hair.

Lucy went rigid. "What?! Are you sniffing me?"

A deep, laugh rumbled through his body, sending an odd tingly surge through her.

"Only admiring your scent." he whispered softly in her ear with a strange, provocative accent that melted her. His voice was so deep it reminded her of thunder and it rumbled through her from head to toe.

Okay, so the man was incredibly hot, and his breath on her neck sent thousands of needle-like chills over her body. Was she on fire? She felt so.

"You are not who I thought you were." He whispered.

She swallowed. "Who did you think I was?"

"Shh," he whispered in her ear as his thumbs caressed her captured wrists in a rhythm that sent electric surges through her. Her chest drew sharply as she inhaled her breath.

Never in her life had she felt anything more arousing than his weight on her or smelled anything more exciting than the smoky scent of him that resonated from him. Her brain must have broken.

Now that he was certain she posed no immediate threat, he knew he should move away from the woman beneath him, and yet...

It had been a long time since he'd touched a woman. An eternity since he had dared be this close to a female. He had forgotten the warm softness of female skin against him. The feel of hot, sweet, breath on his neck.

But now that she was under him...

Oh yes, he remembered this. He remembered the way a woman's hands felt as they roamed his back during an embrace. The way a woman felt as she writhed to his expert touch.

For a minute, He actually lost himself to the sensation of it as he imagined the love he once knew.

He closed his eyes at the thought of running his tongue over her lips, of toying with her tongue as she buried her hands in his hair.

She squirmed beneath him, only adding to his fantasy.

Hmmm...

Of course, if she ever found out who and what he was, she would pale in terror. And if she were smart, she would push him away.

It was a pity. But then, he was used to people being terrified of him. It was the curse of his family.

"Who's there? What are we doing here?" she whispered.

Opening his eyes, he relaxed to the sound of her gentle, lilting voice. How he loved a smooth sing-song voice and this woman had one that rolled off her tongue like silky chocolate.

Against his iron will, his body stirred viciously in response to her. The need flamed in him to taste those full, parted lips.

Oh yes, he could savor this woman. All of her.

He pulled back slightly to better study her face. Her light blonde hair was highlighted with gold strands that caught the light. Her deep brown eyes showed her confusion, her anger, and her spirit. They were like pools of melted candy and a milky-way of stars. They were set in a scrunched face that portrayed her every emotion.

And then there was her scent.

Most of the women he knew wore perfume that overwhelmed his highly developed senses, while this woman smelled of roses, clean linen, and softness.

His masculine power and overt sexuality overwhelmed her.

As she lay there beneath him, she realized just how vulnerable she was to him.

That thought both scared and excited her.

He blinked and a veil came over his face, disguising his mood from her. He released her.

As he moved away, she saw the blood on her pink sweater. "Oh, my God!" she gasped. "You're bleeding?"

He took a deep breath as he sat next to her. "Don't worry about that. It won't take long to heal."

Lucy couldn't believe his childish, nonchalant tone. Judging from the amount of blood on her clothes, she would say he was badly injured and yet he showed no other signs of it. "Where are you hurt?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he ran his left hand through his hair. He paused to glare around the dark room instead of replying.

Now that he was awake and not on top of her, Lucy was struck by the dark moodiness of his features. There was something very romantic and compelling about his face.

Something heroic.

All too easily, she could see him dressed like a medieval knight or a demon slayer.

"Well, well," a disembodied voice said. "My pets are awake."

Lucy recognized the evil voice as the one belonging to whoever had clobbered her in her house.

"Dude," the man beside her said in a chiding tone as he looked about the stone walls. "Still playing your shitty games, I see. Now why don't you be a good boy and show yourself? Coward."

"All in good time, Dragneel, all in good time. You see, excited to have two new toys to play with. I'm not going to let it end so suddenly."

The disembodied voice gave a dramatic pause. "You have been merciless in your pursuit of my demise and the time has come for you to know who is in charge. By the time I finish with the two of you, you will be begging me to let you die."

Dragneel lowered his head and laughed. "I have never begged a day in my life asshole, and the world will end before I ever beg for the likes of you."

The man pushed himself to his feet, and Lucy saw the wound in his side. His shirt was slightly torn and blood stained the floor where he had been sitting. But he didn't seem to notice the injury.

The fierce look on his face would have scared the devil himself. "I am so going to enjoy killing you."

The voice laughed. "I doubt you'll get the chance once your little friend learns what you are."

The man cast a look at her that told her to keep quiet.

"Is that why we are here together?" Dragneel asked. "You wanted to watch us fight?"

"Oh no," the voice said. "Not my plan at all. If you kill each other, that would be fine by me. You see, the underworld is holding its annual hunt for the entertainment of the demons, and there is no place you can hide where I won't find you."

The man smirked. "You think you're capable of hunting me?"

"Oh yes. Yes, I do. You see, I know your weakness even better than you do."

"I have no weakness."

The voice laughed.

Lucy could hear the smirk in his voice. "Your greatest weakness is your nobility. That woman is the prize for whoever defeats you, yet we all know who will be the victor. When kill you, I'll do it slowly so you can watch him devour her and her body. The voice laughed. " I know you just can't resist a human in peril, can you? Not after what had happened with Lisanna."

"Hades," the man tsked. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Don't you dare take that flippant tone with me."

"Why ever not?"

"Because I am not some scared little Demon to run cringing from you. I am your worst nightmare."

Dragneel scoffed. "C'mon, Dumbass. I'm the best that's ever been"

A furious snarl echoed in the room. "Stop mocking my name."

"Sorry, you're right. The least I could do is show you respect before I end you."

"Oh, you won't kill me, Dragneel. You are the one who will die this time. Have you given thought to how much she's going to slow you down? You have never known the suffering I will inflict upon you when next we meet."

His lips in a tight, firm line, the man smiled at the devil's threats. "You seriously overestimate your abilities."

"We shall see."

Lucy heard a boom and then the room was silent again. 

She lowered her voice and whispered, "Can he hear us?"

The man shook his head. "No, the lacrima is closed. For the moment, he's off plotting his show. I don't know about you, but I have this image of him rubbing his hands together and laughing like a spoiled kid at Christmas."

He took a minute to study her. She didn't appear hysterical... yet, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"My name is Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." he said slowly. "And that guy is a man is Hades… or in your world, the_ Devil_."

"Thanks, but that much I already got." Lucy frowned. She should be frightened by all this, but she wasn't. Her anger over it was too great.

She looked up at Natsu and her frown deepened. What made him so important that the devil himself captured him? For that matter, why was she here? She remembered it had something to do with her father, Jude Heartfilia, but other than that she was confused.

He looked at her blankly, before pulling her to her feet. "Yoshhh, Let's get out of here." he said as he patted his chest, hips, rear, and legs. Dust formed a halo around him.

Lucy tried not to notice just how incredibly toned that body was as her hand was dragged along behind him. And when her hand brushed his side, she thought she would moan. Right now she needed to keep a level head.

He was built for sex and for speed. Too bad he wasn't her type. In fact, he seemed to be the opposite. All cockiness and no brain.

Wasn't he?

He cursed. "Of course, he has my lacrima." he muttered, before leading her to crack in the wall.

He placed his hand to the cool stone.

Lucy arched a brow. "What are you doing? Having a heart to heart with your pet rock there buddy?"

He gave her a childish smirk before leaning closer to the wall. "Trying to get us out of here, you?"

"I'm trying not to get irritated at you, sir pinky."

Amusement flashed in his eyes, and then he returned his attention to the wall.

Lucy watched as he pressed his hand hard against the stone and it began to glow a deep red.

"Oooo," she commented dryly. "Very scary."

He gave her an unamused look. "Baby, you ain't seen scary yet."

"Baby?"

Lucy smirked at his tough-guy demeanor and gave a very unfeminine snort.

He ignored her. He then bent over to and clasped both hands to his mouth. The back vest rode up, giving her with a nice view of him.

Oh yeah, nice butt. Lucy's mouth went dry as he finally straightened to his full six-foot-five-inch height.

Oh my, my, my.

Okay, she took it back, he did have one feature she found irresistible. His height. She'd always been a sucker for any man taller than her. And with this guy, she could easily wear three-inch heels and not offend his ego.

He towered over her. And she liked it. 

"Alright can we hurry this along hot head? I'm getting annoyed and I don't want to be here when the devil decides he want to play cat and mouse."

Never in his extremely long life had anyone dare to stand up to him full heartedly, well maybe no one except Erza. When he was a mortal, he had made entire armies flee in terror of his approach. Few men had ever dared meet him eye to eye. And here this woman he had just met was giving him the run around.

As a God, he made demons run from his presence. His name was whispered in awe and fear. He was Igneel's son for god's sake; Zeus in mortal language. And this woman had called him...

"Hot head," he repeated out loud. "I don't think I've ever been more insulted."

"Then you must have been an only child."

He laughed at that. In truth, he was, but there were plenty of gods in the heaven of magnolia to test him.

He swept a look over her. She was beautiful, not heavenly beautiful, but there was something exotic bout her features. Her long, starlight hair was loose, spilling about her slender shoulders. But it was mostly her eyes that were captivating. Warm and intelligent, they were narrowed on him now with annoyance. 

Lucy glanced down his body and saw the jagged wound through the torn material. "You really need to tend that."

"God forbid I should bleed to death, eh?" he asked casually. "Then you'd have to cart around my rotting corpse."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Could you be any grosser? Jeez."

"You're trying to scare me, aren't you?" she asked. "Well, it won't work. I grew up in a house with an angry father and tons of assholes that tried to woo me. Buster, I've seen it all, and your humor isn't working on me."

Before he realized what she was doing, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it.

Lucy froze at the sight of his bare stomach. It was lean, hard, and flat, and he had a rippling six-pack of abs that anyone would envy. But what made her gasp was the wound covering his flesh.

"Good Mavis, what happened to you?"

He jerked his shirt down and took a step back. " If you mean the gash, it came from a demon I mistook for a child in need of help."

"You walked into a trap?"

He shrugged. "It's not the first time."

Lucy swallowed as she swept her gaze over him.

She'd never seen a man with eyes so serious. Nor had she seen any man so incredibly handsome, and with pink hair! "What does the devil want with you?"

Natsu gazed intensely down at her. "I am in charge of stopping his demons, thus stopping his plans, because he not only kills humans, he steals their souls."

She tensed at his words. "Can he do that?"

"You said you've seen it all," he said in a mocking tone. "You tell me."

Lucy wanted to choke him. Never in her life had she met a more arrogant, or infuriating man.

"Why do I always get sucked into this mumbo jumbo?" she muttered. "Is it too much to ask that I have one average day?"

Natsu tilted his head, and held his hand up to signal her for silence. "Back up."

"Yeah, yeah," Lucy said. "Mr. big bad wolf"

He smirked and turned his back to her. His hands went back to his mouth and he blasted the wall with a breath of fire. The wall crumbled.

He looked at her and gave her a wide smile. "There we go."

In spite of herself and the danger they were in, Lucy laughed in amazement.

He disregarded her laughter as he carefully shielded her with his body, leaning out through the walls opening. "Damn," Natsu snarled under his breath as he took a step back into the room.

"What?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat in terror. "Is he out there?"

"No."

"Then let's go." She headed out into the now accessible hallway.

He didn't budge. Clenching his teeth, he looked down the hallway again and said something under his breath.

"What did you just say?" Lucy questioned.

He hesitated for a few heartbeats, then opened his mouth and ran his tongue over his long, pointed canine teeth. "Gods are forbidden out daylight."


	2. His Heat

Chapter Two

Mr. "Hot Head" Gorgeous Man is a GOD!

"Oh no, no." Lucy's entire body shook from terror and it took every piece of self-control she possessed not to launch into a screaming fit. "Are you going to suck my soul out? Or kill me so I don't slow you down so you can get back to magnolia!?"

He arched a brow. "Do I look like that kind of bastard to you?"

She ignored his sarcasm. "Are you going to kill me?" She repeated.

His face completely unamused, Natsu sighed irritably. "If I intended to kill you, don't you think you'd already be dead?"

He stepped closer to her and offered her a wry, evil grin she knew was meant to intimidate her. And boy howdy did it work.

He lifted his free hand up to stroke the skin of her neck where her jugular was. The feather-light touch sent chills over her. "Come to think of it, I could just suck you dry."

Her eyes widened in terror.

"But lucky you, I have no intention of doing that, either."

"Don't be sarcastic, okay?" she breathed, her heart still. "I can't cope with it. Imagine if you were in my shoes. I went from that to being knocked on the head to trapped with a god. Not to mention im going to be hunted and mavis knows what else? Excuse me if I'm a little freaky at the moment."

To her amazement, he dropped his hand and backed off. "You're right. I imagine you're not used to having people attack you for no apparent reason."

By his tone, she could tell he, on the other hand, was rather experienced at finding himself in the middle of such situations.

He glanced to the hole in the wall. "All right. We're going to have to run for it before the sun rises any higher."

Natsu gave her a penetrating stare. "The main problem is that I don't know where that hallway leads. In the event it leads out into the open and I die a particularly agonizing death because I broke Igneel's law where I spontaneously combust into flames, I need a favor from you."

"A favor?" she asked in disbelief.

"Sure, why not?" she asked.

He took the ring off his right hand and gave it to her. "I need you to take that." Lucy frowned at the ring in her hand. The gold was scuffed and nicked in a number of places as if it had been seriously mistreated. Or rather the hand that bore it had been through a lot of damage.

The top of the ring was a ruby that was shaped like a fairy with a tail. She could tell it was very valuable.

Why would he entrust it to her?

Unsure of what to make of him, she placed it in her jeans pocket. "Ok?" she asked.

"Say the words 'Erza, I summon you to human form.' "

"Erza-"

He put his hand over her mouth. "For the love of Zeus, only say it once I'm gone. After you utter the words, wait until a very tall, red-haired woman appears and tell her you need protection from Hades."

Lucy arched a brow. "You want me to summon a goddess to protect me?"

"If you don't, he will get you and torture you. And after he is done with you, you will die."

"Why do you care?"

"It's my job to protect the humans from the Demons." Though his face was harsh, there was a light in his eyes. "Promise me you'll do it."

Why not? It was a strange request, but then, considering the facts, who was she to say what was or wasn't strange? "Okay."

"Good. Now, let's run for it."

Before she could protest, he grabbed her wrist, and ran out the door to the right and down the hallway.

As they ran along the rusty floor, Lucy realized they were inside an abandoned factory of some sort.

At the end of the hallway were stairs that led down.

Natsu pulled her along after him until they reached the bottom of the stairs that opened into an enormous empty room. The walls were cracked, with rays of the sun streaming through.

The man fell back into the shadows, away from the sunlight. His face looked a bit blistered, but overall he didn't appear too much the worse from their trip down the hall

"Now what?" she asked as she tried to catch her breath.

The god wasn't even breathing hard.

Instead of answering, he held up a hand for silence in a gesture that was starting to piss her off-the main reason being because it seemed to call for trouble.

Two seconds later, Lucy heard someone walking around outside. Natsu pulled her deeper into the shadows with him while they listened. He had his free arm draped over her shoulders, pinning her to his body.

Natsu couldn't breathe with her so close to him. His heightened senses could smell her fear, but even more so her succulent scent. Just that short run had made her sweat and it was burning his nose with desire.

His loins tightened to the point of pain. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been this hard for a woman. And it took all his willpower not to kiss her. Not to bury his lips against her throat and inhale her warm sweetness as he...

Natsu jerked upright when he realized who was standing in at the end of the sun light room. "You dude I'm over here!"

A tall African-American man approached them. He gave a low whistle as he caught sight of Natsu's sunburned face. "Man, you look like hell. Who's the girl?"

Natsu led her toward the man. "Just my new best friend."

"Okay," the man said good-naturedly. "I can take a hint."

Natsu cast an amused look to her that let her know he was thoroughly enjoying her torment.

The man laughed.

"I don't think so." Lucy said heatedly. "So how do we get out of here?"

Natsu gave her that devilish grin that warmed her all over, and the look he swept over her made her tingle. "Lily will pull his car in here and we drive out to freedom, easy peasy."

"You're not funny."

Natsu shrugged. "It's the only way out of here."

"For you maybe," she said. "I can walk right out of here on my own."

He cocked a taunting brow at her. 'Try it and you'll die."

"Okay," Lucy said. "We'll be getting in the car, then."

Lily led the way.

"You two do this a lot?" she asked Lily.

He smiled. "Every now and again."

"How did you two meet?" she asked him.

"I was eating a body when he found me." Natsu said with a straight face.

Lily laughed as he sat down in the driver's seat. "One night while I was on call, I work as a fireman; I went to burning house to put out the fire. If not for Natsu, I'd be in the body bag because the building collapsed around me."

"Shut up, Lily," Natsu snapped, "and drive."

"I'm going," Lily said as if completely unoffended by the way Natsu treated him.

"You know," Lucy said to Natsu as Lily the car. "You could try being nicer to people. Especially when they're helping you."

She heard his aggravated sigh even through the plastic. "Shouldn't that advice apply to you, as well?"

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, and then closed it. He was right. She had been rather testy with him since all this started. "I guess you're right. Maybe we should both try and make the best of this."

Lily drove them to their destination, but the ride was far from smooth.

By the time they arrived, she felt as if she had been tossed around like a rag doll.

Lily pulled up to the rear of the building, under an awning that kept the sunlight from touching them.

Once inside the building, Lucy clutched her sweater out of nervousness.

Natsu remained silent as Lily led them down the corridor. Lucy walked along beside them.

"Hey, Lily?" a tall and darkly handsome man asked as they drew near the elevators. "Had to save that flame brains ass again?"

Lily shook his head. "You know how he is, Gray."

Gray laughed while Lucy covered her face with her hands out of embarrassment.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, Lucy whispered under her breath, "Natsu, please I want to go home." Lucy then groaned and prayed for this ordeal to end.

Natsu looked down at the flushed face of his partner. He actually liked her, and that surprised him most of all. "After I correct things, then you are free to go like none of this even happened."

Lucy jumped when Natsu met her gaze. Those deep, black eyes bored into hers and made her hot and breathless. And those muscled arms... Lean and defined, he was all masculine beauty. His biceps were flexed as he leaned back on his elbows. She wanted to reach out and touch him so badly that she ached from it. No doubt, he would be rock-hard and satiny underneath her hand.

His shoulders were incredibly broad, with sculpted muscles that promised strength, speed, and agility. His pecs and arms were every bit as well-formed and tight.

And his stomach, oh heaven! Those flat abs had been made for nibbling.

The thought made her even hotter.

They stepped out of the elevator and into a dim lite room. The walls were black and had beautiful candles hung in every corner. There was a drink bar against the far wall. The whole room was very romantic.

Lucy watched Lily and Gray lead Natsu to a red leather couch and tend to his wounds. Her heart wrenched at the thought of how much pain Natsu must be feeling.

"Doesn't that wound hurt? What about your blisters." she asked him.

"No," Natsu said between clenched teeth.

Lucy could tell by the way the veins stood out on his neck and the way he clenched his fists that he was lying.

"Here," she said, taking his hand in hers. "Just hold tight."

Natsu stared her hand in his. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched him like that.

There was no reason for her to hold his hand. He'd barely spoken a civil word to her, and yet she reached out to him when no one else would have. It made him feel strange toward her. Protective. Tender.

More than that, her simple touch scorched him all the way to his caged heart. He swallowed, then stiffened. He couldn't let her close to him. She was a creature of light and he was one of darkness.

The two were not compatible.

"So, tell me why the devil is treating you so badly?" she asked.

"I told you," he said, his jaw tight, "My job is hunt his demons."

"But if you hunt his demons then why is he so serious about killing you? It's not like Hades doesn't have thousands of demons. "

Natsu gave her a hard glare. "The difference I'm the son of Igneel. Since pops doesn't leave magnolia, the devil is after me."

"So he is hurting you to torture you dad? WAIT, did you say Igneel is your dad?!"

"Yeah, Luigi."

Lucy dropped his hand. "Oh, that's it," she said. "I was just trying to understand. God forbid, you should let anyone actually be nice to you."

Irritated, she met Gray's surprised gaze. "Can you just smack him of something?"

Gray snorted. "I could do that, but flame brain might not like that."

Once Lily finished, Natsu put his vest back on.

Gray and Lily quickly cleaned up the mess. "The phone is against the far wall. I'll grab something in the cafeteria for you to eat Lucy and be back as soon as I can. Stay in here and keep the door locked."

As soon as they were alone, Natsu moved with her over to the wall so she could sit on the small stool by the phone.

"I'm going to call my friend and let her know I'm not going to be at work for a while."

His face lightened. The man was gorgeous when not scowling or barking. "Worried about your job?"

"I'm a novelist, so it's not like I'll be missed too much."

He nodded. "That job seems to suit you."

"You think so?" Lucy said.

He nodded and gave a childish grin.

She pulled his ring out of her pocket and returned it to him. "I don't think I need that anymore."

Natsu laughed out loud.

"You never know."

She cut a sharp glare at him. "God don't even play like that, idiot."

It took her a few minutes on the phone; Natsu could hear the sadness in her voice as she explained to her friend that she was "sick" and taking time off.

"Well that's over." she said. "What are we going to do now?"

Natsu smirked at her question and a devilish gleam entered his eyes. Then that dark, penetrating stare dropped to her lips. She swore she could feel his hunger, feel his inner need to touch her.

Before she knew what he was doing, he cupped her head with his free hand, brushed her bottom lip with his thumb, and bent his head down to capture her lips with his.

Stunned, Lucy couldn't think, couldn't move, as his warm lips parted hers.

Every hormone in her body fired. She moaned low in her throat. Oh heaven, the man could kiss. And the feel of his hard body against hers was so incredible that she clutched at his shoulders wanting desperately to taste more of him.

His tongue danced with hers as his honed muscles rippled under her hands, and when her tongue accidentally brushed against his fangs, an unexpected shudder of pleasure ran through her.

Natsu tensed as he tasted a bit of paradise. He was instantly aware of her soft, feminine curves pressing against his hardness. Aware of the way she smelled like sunshine-things that had been taken from him centuries before.

His body on fire, he ran his hand down her back, pressing her closer to him. He wanted her in a way he'd not wanted a woman since his days as a mortal man. He ached to touch her all over, to gently scrape his fangs over her neck.

Closing his eyes, he breathed her sweet, feminine scent as his body throbbed and ached for her with a primitive need.

Lucy hissed in pleasure as he deepened his fiery kiss.

She wrapped her free arm around his neck, pulling him closer as her head swam.

What would it be like to make love to such an untamed predator? To run her hands over all those sleek, taut muscles that rippled with every move he made?

He left her lips and seared a trail with his tongue from her mouth to her ear. She felt the barest scrape of his fangs on her neck.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door. "Hey, you two," Gray said, cracking it open. "Someone's coming."

Natsu pulled back with a growl. It was then she realized what she'd done.

"Oh God," she breathed. "I just kissed a god!"

"Oh gods, I just kissed a human!"

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you mocking me?"

"Guys!" Gray called again.

Natsu groaned.

"Let's head to Lily's house, Hades wont suspect we'd be hiding there."

There was only a small loveseat in the room to sleep on.

"I'll take the floor, you the couch." Natsu said.

"That's not to you." Lucy sprawled out on the floor beside him and shut her eyes.

"You don't have to sleep down here with me."

"Just shut up and get some rest." Lucy groaned and fell asleep.

Natsu murmured in his sleep as he snuggled closer. Lucy's eyes widened as his hot breath fell against her cheek and his erection pressed disturbingly against her hip. His grip tightened on her hand an instant before he gathered her in his arms and cradled her body protectively with his.

Her heart hammered. No one had ever held her like this. So possessively. So completely. It felt as if she were cocooned by his strength. The weirdest part of all was that deep down she liked the feeling a whole lot more than she ever wanted to admit.

Natsu's arm held her so close to him that she could barely breathe.

"I've missed you," he whispered tenderly. "Lisanna" he breathed lovingly.

"Hey!" she snapped at him. It offended her to the core of her soul that he would dare call her by someone else's name. "What are you doing?"

Lucy saw the confusion on his face as he pulled away from her and sat up.

"Who's Lisanna?" she asked.

Hurt flared in his eyes. "No one."

Natsu suddenly stood up and started to get his things together.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, then gave her a crooked smile that was teasing, warm, and wicked as he pulled her to her feet.

Before she knew what he was about, he stepped forward, overwhelming her with his masculine scent and power. His hot, coarse hands roamed her face cheek and he started to lean in towards her lips.

"Oh there you are my pets." A voice called out from inside the room.

Here we go again.


End file.
